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Autumn Wartime: Week 4 - Cranberry Sponge Pudding

This week's recipe for the series is Cranberry Sponge Pudding from the 1936 edition of Rumford Complete Cookbook. It sounds very British using the words "sponge" and "pudding", but with the American twist of the cranberries. It also sounds absolutely delicious! Who wouldn't want cake smothered in cranberry sauce and warm custard?? I know I would. This one is going in the holiday to-bake recipe pile. Which gets bigger every year. I didn't get to do much holiday baking because of a crazy and agonizing last few months of pregnancy, so I'm determined to make up for it this year! And you all know how much I love vintage cranberry recipes... 😁

Speaking of cranberry recipes. I've been trying to keep my kids stocked with homemade vintage cookies when I can. So, about a month ago I dared to try a recipe from my 1941 Cape Cod Cranberry Cook Book for Gingerbread Cookies with cubes of cranberry pressed into the middle. And you know what? They were completely awesome! My kids even raved about them and asked for them day after day. It made a big batch, so we didn't quite reach the end before we had to throw them to the chickens, but it was a successful trial (which is always a bonus where vintage recipes are concerned.)

Who knew that gingerbread and cranberry sauce would go so well together. It was the earthy mellow sweetness of the molasses and spices paired with the bright tartness of the cranberry. I was also convinced that the cranberry sauce would melt, but it didn't! The 1940s strike again! Those recipes never cease to amaze me.

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It's here!!! The Wartime Rationing Menu Challenge has finally arrived!
Are you as thrilled as I am? I've been working steadily on this project for two months - trying out test recipes, choosing menus for the next six months, typing everything up, formatting and getting it ready to share. It's been a lot of work, but I'm so excited to share these recipes with you all. It's been hard not to get cooking already!
So, are you ready?

First up, I want to put in a disclaimer. I'm starting this ration menu challenge, and I'm going to follow it the best I can, but I'm just like you - busy with life and all the little moments of chaos that come up when they're the least expected. This isn't a hardcore challenge. Remember that it's for fun, for learning about a cool era of historical cooking in America, and to get yourself into your kitchen trying out some new recipes! If you find some fabulous new favorites, even better.

Grapefruit
Cooked Cereal
Fluffy Omelet
Whole Wheat Toast
Coffee/Malted Milk
I kept it mostly the same with only a few changes due to what we had on hand:
Orange slices
Cooked 10-grain cereal
Fluffy Omelet
Bread w/ a bit of butter
Coffee substitute (Teaccino)
Yum! It was a nice breakfast, especially since it wasn't just cold cereal. To make the fluffy omelet, I didn't follow a recipe. I just added some milk to the scrambled eggs which makes it fluffy as it slowly cooks. And I sprinkled a bit of cheese on top.

LUNCH
The lunch menu was quite lovely! We actually had it for a light supper.
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Berry Patch Salad
Toasted Muffins
Tea/Milk
I stuck to this menu, and used a recipe for the soup from one of my wartime cookbooks. It used a mixture of milk and evaporated milk. I used up some light …

If ever there was a myth about history it would be this: Things were dirt cheap back then.

Were they really?
And this is where I rub my hands together and cackle with geeky glee. Just like we shouldn't judge our ancestors solely based on current standards and social norms, we shouldn't judge prices of yesteryear by today's dollar value.

I'll give you some examples.

(And don't worry. I'm not going to get super technical or get all crazy on the math, because Math is not my strongest subject. I'll fully admit I got my math-savvy husband to help me remember the equations I learned from my college economics class.)

I was looking in one of my Health-for-Victory meal planning guide from 1943. They stated that if you followed their meal plan, you could expect to spend between $14 - $16 a week on groceries. You're probably thinking, WOW! I'd love to pay $14/week for groceries! But what's the value of 1943's $14 in our current year of 2015?